The High School Swimmers Who Were Willing To Brave The First Day Of Practice (65 Degrees)
A few weeks ago I started coaching the Steeple Station Stingrays Swim Team again. This is my 12th summer season as a head coach (10th with this team). I’m working with 170 swimmers ages 4-18. You can read more about our Swim Team here.
One thing I love about coaching the Steeple Station Stingrays (try saying that 10x fast) is working with our teenage swimmers. It’s not just about stroke technique with these swimmers. It’s about life skills. And one life skill I try to teach and model is goal setting. How to set personal goals and team goals. How to set short term goals and long term goals. How to achieve goals and objectives. Goal setting. Goal setting. Goal setting!
Saying thank you is important. But knowing how to say thank you when it hurts is more important.
Let me explain…
As a keynote speaker I’m on stage quite a bit. When you’re on stage speaking, you can insert your foot into your mouth from time to time. That’s exactly what happened to me recently.
When you hear the phrase work hard play hard, what comes to mind?
Does work hard play hard mean dragging yourself through the week slaving away at a J-O-B you hate so that during the weekend you can play hard at what you love? As the song says: “Everybody working for the weekend!”
Or does work hard play hard make more of a statement about doing work you love? As James Michener says: “The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both.”
Work Hard Play Hard. Where do you stand?
I recently hosted the Speak It Forward Boot Camp. I absolutely love this event! It’s something into which I pour my heart and soul. I host it because I love being a speaker and am passionate about helping others experience the joy that comes from making a living through sharing messages that positively impacts people’s lives.
Speak It Forward – May 2013 Alumni
As with most events, evaluations are asked from participants. I’m happy to say, each time we host this event, the evaluations get better and better.
Additionally, many participants go above and beyond the evaluation and share their appreciation through thank you letters, thank you notes, and thank you gifts. The extra step to say “thank you” is always appreciated.
I’d like to share one thank you letter I received. It’s not to toot my own horn or indicate this thank you note was better than anyone else’s. I’m sharing it because it’s a good example of how to write a thank you letter. Here are three quick thoughts about how to write a thank you letter that comes from the note below.
Hey Kent...Things are going great! I am half way finished with real estate school. I've also met a great real estate broker who is going to mentor me. This guy truly cares about people, and I am looking forward to learning from him. Even more, I am looking forward to what the future holds for me. Thanks to you, I have been able to discern between which agencies I want to pursue. You empowered me to take things that I have always dreamed about doing and set out on a road to make them happen. Thanks again...I'm busy living it forward!
Eric Hudson
